Russia sees no risk to Idlib buffer zone agreement falling apart

There is no risk to the Russian-Turkish agreement on Syria’s Idlib demilitarized zone, with the Turkish side putting significant efforts into implementing its obligations despite existing difficulties, Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday.

“No, so far, we see no threat,” the spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, answering the request to comment on Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem’s statement claiming that the Turkish side was not fulfiling its obligations under the Idlib demilitarized zone agreement.

Peskov added that the shelling continued and “not everything was going according to plan.”

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin said that we understand it, because the situation is really very difficult. But the main thing is that Russia notes that the Turkish side puts significant effort into implementing the existing agreements,” the spokesman said.

On Putin-Netanyahu Meeting

Speaking about the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris, Peskov noted that the Russian president’s schedule only envisioned a conversation with US leader Donald Trump yet, but added that Putin and Netanyahu could meet on the go.

“The schedule of staying in Paris only envisions one bilateral meeting yet, this is a meeting with President Trump, which is currently being prepared. Putin is also expected to take part in memorial events, where there actually could be an opportunity to have a quick word with other participants, including Netanyahu, on the go,” Peskov told reporters when asked if a meeting with Netanyahu was possible.

Prior to the spokesman’s comments, Israeli media, citing a high-ranking source in the country’s leadership, said Netanyahu was interested in meeting with Putin in Paris on November 11.

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